This is How it Happened
by Fire Makes Me Smile
Summary: <html><head></head>It started with a fire,a cockatoo, a police officer, skipping school, claustrophobia, and much confusion. No one person really knows what happened. But maybe four different ones will. AU with no powers.</html>
1. This is what happened according to Ororo

**I wrote these letters for a school assignment a couple of years ago, then I read over it while clearing out my many, many files and realized that with a little tweaking, this could sort of relate to X-Men Evo. So, what the heck, let's put it on fanfic! Enjoy, and sorry if this makes no sense, I think I was 13 and high on sugar.**

Dearest Mr. Xavier,

I am very thankful that you have allowed me to stay in your home. It has been very stressful for me recently, with the flying away from that dreadful cage and immediately being set on fire. It was very kind of you to take me in.

I understand that this must be most confusing, as I am a cockatoo and should by all means be completely unable to write a letter of any sort. I don't quite understand it myself. I do believe it has something to do with mutations, though I do not know of the technicalities.

I am sure that you are wondering why I flew away from my cage in the first place. The reason is quite simple, really. You see, I have a rather unpleasant fear of small, enclosed spaces. I believe it is called 'claustrophobia' to you humans, and the cage that the Alders family kept me in was as small and enclosed as cages can be bought in any store. So when, one day, I was playing with the latch on the door to my undersized cage and it swung open, I of course left.

And, oh my, was it ever so lovely to stretch my wings again. I went much farther then I should have, until I couldn't feel the tips of my wings any longer. After this occurred point I decided that perhaps it would be best for me to rest for a little while, as it wouldn't do to fall right out of the sky, and I alighted on a large, flat roof on a building of some sort.

I was marvelling at the freedom of being free, and would have been quite content to never see another human being as long as I lived simply because they had kept such a magnificent experience from me my entire life.

And then the whole building I was resting on was suddenly on fire.

Now, if I'd been paying attention I would have sooner realized that the building had a rather strong smell of gasoline, even though my own sense of smell is very poor. Perhaps it was poor luck, or perhaps karma, or perhaps it was fate that caused me to land on that particular roof, but no matter what led me to that moment, I was on fire quite literally.

I immediately tried to fly from the inferno, but with a combination of newly-charred wings and exhaustion from my long excursion, I only made it several meters away from the roof before I plummeted all the way down to the hard, cruel concrete.

I am unsure of the events that came to pass in that time after the fall. Though I am almost positive that at one point I heard a strange hysterical laugh that was terribly loud for a moment before fading away quickly, then some unpleasantly shrill sirens, then much yelling and arguing between many humans.

It was quite painful then, and I felt quite certain that every bone in my body had been fractured. I thought I was dieing, and I suppose I was, and would have if I hadn't been found when I had.

When I felt human hands picking me up, I tried to protest, but the 'No, let go' somehow managed to come out as a garbled 'orrrr orr o'. And then everything was dark for some time. I remember little snippets of what happened after that, a car ride, a girl and a man talking for a little while, then being lifted up and taken into a warm place.

The next thing I remember is waking up in a cage, and though this was a very large cage, it was still a cage none the less. My wings had been all bound up in bandages. No one would inform me of neither what had happened nor how I had gotten to that place, even though each day people in blue uniforms came into my cage to nourish and hydrate me.

I only learned that I was at a veterinary office when a man _not _in a blue uniform came in and took me out of the cage. He kept calling me 'Ororo', which I suppose is my name now, despite the strangeness of it. My old name was Stormy, which I was none to fond of.

He took me to an automotive vehicle, and after we traversed over many roads, he explained to me what had happened, or rather he thought out loud, believing I was unable to understand his words. Apparently, in my fall, I had broken most bones in my body and many of my feathers had been burnt off. I would have to be patient and wait for my moulting cycle to replace those that had been lost. He could not take care of me himself until I was healed, so he was bringing me to live with his good friend, Chuck. This 'Chuck' owned a school, and this school was filled with many human children that would help to care for me.

And this is how I came to be here, free to roam around the school as I please, though I much prefer to ride on the shoulders of students as walking becomes quite tiresome. Again, Mr. Xavier, I thank you for letting me stay here, as I doubt that I would have been happier anywhere else. Perhaps I shall stay even after my wings have healed.

-Sincerely, (and as of last week) Ororo.

**Sooooo… In case you didn't realize, that was Storm. I realize that Storm is not usually a cockatoo, but, what the heck, I'm exercising my creative license to make changes to fanfics. This was a assignment of letters from different people to the same person explaining an occurrence from different points of view. My occurrence is, of course, the fire. I'll be showing it from Rogue's, Logan's, and the person who caused the fire, in that order. Your guess on who that person is :D**

**Review, because if you don't I'll kill off all of your favourite characters.**

**Or will I?**

**Your risk.**


	2. This is what happened according to Rogue

**Letter number 2. If things don't fit with EVO, remember I didn't originally write this for EVO.**

**Dear Uncle Charlie,**

******Well, I went to jail this week. And before you get too excited with your 'righting the wrongs you caused', know that I went to jail for something I didn't even do.**

******I feel like Bob Marley must have when he was writing 'I Shot the Sheriff'. I mean, in the past few years I have done so much stuff that I should have been arrested for. And what gets me? A fire that I didn't even start ****_after_**** I clean up my act! Yay, that's right. They think I burned down a building. I don't even like fire!**

******Okay, so if I was a cop I probably would have arrested me too. I mean, running away from a clearly intentionally set fire with a package of matches in my hand? That's awfully suspicious. But of course I was running away. I was just walking along, minding my own business (well, I should have been in history class, but that's not really important), when WHOOSH; a building goes up in flames right next to me. Ya, it freaked me out some. And as for the matches... okay don't freak out, but I was smoking again.**

******Yes, I know I promised you I'd quit, but life's been sucking lately what with exams coming up and mom discovering the wonders of alcohol lately. And also, I took the cig from her, so it's not like I bought a whole pack for myself, right?**

******Oh, did I mention that I'm 99.9% sure that I actually know who the person is that started the fire. I was just about to light up (yes, yes. Smoking is bad, yada yada yada) when some really tall and really crazy-looking guy ran up to me and took the match I had in my hand. He was all pouty for a second when it went out from being moved away too quickly, but then he grinned and grabbed the whole pack out of my hand. He was laughing like a maniac as he ran away.**

******I was just standing there like, 'okay, that was really weird' and pulled out the other package of matches I had on me specifically for these kinds of things, because as we all know crazy people are pretty common here. About a minute later, a warehouse three buildings away from me suddenly burst into flames. Which, I have to admit, isn't really common here.**

******Then you probably know what happened. I run away from fire. Cops pick me up. I get arrested for arson. They bring me into the slammer. **

******I wasn't in there for very long, considering that they didn't have enough evidence pointing to me being the fire-starter. And they also found about fifty empty gas containers (you know, the kind you fill with gas then put in your trunk in case you run out of fuel somewhere random) really close to where the fire was, covered in really neat fingerprints and I both had gloves on (when removed showed hands free of gas) and didn't smell anything like the gasoline that definitely would have gotten on me if I spread around that much of the stuff.**

******Logan (I guess he was officer Howlett while on the job, it's so weird seeing him at work after knowing him forever) drove me home in his police car. I got to share a seat with a white bird that I'm pretty sure was dead and all covered in soot that James kept calling Oreo or Oruka or Oruro or something weird like that. **

******Anyways, I know you're really busy being a Principal or Headmaster or whatever they call you at that school of yours and don't really have time to read about a weirdly named bird and me going to jail and stuff, so I think I'll stop writing now. In fact, I'll actually mail this one too. **

******- Anna Marie**

P.S. Mom cried when she saw the police car pull up.

**REVIEW because I wuv you.**

**AND I WILL DESTROY YOU IF YOU DO NOT!**


	3. This is what happened according to Logan

**This is actually the one I'm expecting to be the least good, but on the bright side (of life, dodo, dodo dodo dodo) the next chapter is from an insane person, and that's always fun!**

Dear Chuck,

No, I'm not going to visit any time soon. Yes, I still carry knives wherever I go. No, I am not going to go sit in an office of a head doctor and talk about my problems and hope that they can cure my amnesia. Yes, I got in a bar fight this weekend. No, I am not going to teach at your school.

And now that all the usual introductions are out of the way: Hi Chuck, I hope you're okay and none of your students have tipped you out of your wheelchair recently.

Really.

If they have, tell me, and I _will_ visit you soon for the sole purpose of killing them.

Not literally.

Well, not completely. When you told me 'no killing the students' last time I was there, did it include maiming? Yes? Damn.

But really, you need to hang them by their ankles in the basement for an hour the next time they pull a stunt like that. It'll help teach them a lesson. I know just spot to use. I'll call it the Danger Room and send someone there every time fireworks are set off or cherry bombs are put in someone's lunch or public displays of affection are flaunted. Tie them up myself.

Work's been pretty slow for me lately, except for this one case of arson. It was in that secluded part of town, where the warehouses are. Two of the three buildings that caught on fire were empty, and the third didn't burn long enough to cause too much damage. There doesn't seem to be a reason for someone to set them on fire other then to just... set them on fire. Whoever this person is, they are seriously messed up.

Chances are that no one would have even seen the blaze until half the warehouses were on fire, except Creed was in the area for 'undisclosed reasons' (*cough* beer break *cough*) and could report the fire straight away, along with proudly letting everyone know that he'd picked up a suspect. Because we all know that Creed is useless, and him picking _anyone _up is pretty impressive.

I was the second closest to the area, but I still didn't get there until the fire was under control anyways. Fun fact: turns out your niece, Anna-Marie, was the suspect Creed picked up. You might have to bring her back to the misfit school to re-fix her. (Or 'help her make better decisions in life' or whatever you do at that Institute of yours)

Actually, don't do that. No one but Creed _really_ believed that she was the person who set the fire, partially because the fire had been started by pouring gas all over one of the buildings and she clearly had not handled that much gas recently. And besides, she kept going on and on about how some crazy red-haired guy stole her matches then ran away laughing hysterically. 

They took her to the station, and I got to stick around and investigate instead of eating lunch. Hurray for me. And I had a package of beef jerky and everything.

On the upside, I got free doughnuts after work.

But before the free doughnuts, I just looked around the area for more evidence. At first I didn't find much, and I was actually about to leave when, strangest thing, I find a _cockatoo, _all charred up and missing some feathers. When I picked it up, it made a funny 'Or-or-o' sound, so that's what I started calling it, because we all know I suck at that kind of thing. It was either that or Sooty, so its name is now Ororo.

After I drove Anna home from the station and stopped her mother from breaking down into tears on the front stoop, I brought the bird into a veterinary office. In case you were wondering, it's a she, _she _probably got caught in the blaze and fell right from the sky when she tried to fly away while her wings were on fire, and half the bones in her body are now broken.

I ended up leaving her there so that they could treat her, but I'm not sure what to do with her once she's ready to leave. The Mrs. is scared of birds, so I can't exactly bring her home.

I was thinking… kids like animals, right? And your school has kids… unless there's something you're not telling me. How about I give the bird to your school, and she could be a class pet or something.

Give me a response when you find the time. I know time is a hard thing to come by recently.

- Logan

P.S. Seriously. Danger Room. Consider it.

**Huh… that actually turned out better then I thought it would. It started off boring and clinical when I found it.**

**Review, or I will send my minion otters to your house to ruin all of your nice new spring flowers.**

**Don't have spring flowers? They'll plant some. AND THEN RUIN THEM!**


	4. This is what happened according to FIRE!

**YES! So psyched about this chapter.**** First ever completed fic, YES!**

**Can you guess who the fire person is?**

Dear Mummy,

I've noticed you haven't returned any of my letters since your funeral, but I still haven't lost hope. You'll write when you've got the time. In fact, I'm positive that you'll find the time to sit down and pick up a pen after reading this letter, because I've done something so huge there's no way for you to ignore me anymore. I BLEW UP A BUILDING! Ha ha! You see? Now you _have _to talk to me!

Okay, so maybe I didn't technically make it explode, mostly because the guy at the fireworks store didn't have anything big enough to do the job. So instead I bought as many containers of gasoline as I could afford then chose a random warehouse that didn't look important. Things that aren't important aren't as much fun to burn but you get less years for it once you get arrested for arson.

Looking back, the place was probably abandoned, because I'm pretty sure warehouses are supposed to have stuff in it while they're being used. But when I ran around the whole place, covering everything I could reach with the smelly gas, it was completely empty.

Oh, and do you remember matches? You know, those things you always kept me away from as a kid for reasons that you would never explain? Well, whatever you thought they were used for must have been wrong because, get this, they make _fire. _And there is no way you'd ever keep fire; warm, glowing, beautiful fire; away from me!

So anyways, I saw this guy with red hair run up to some kid who was trying to light a cigarette with a match, take the match from her, which unfortunately made the match go out, then grab the whole package of the beautiful fire sticks and run away laughing.

He didn't seem to notice that he was running towards me until I punched him in the face and then took the matched from HIM! I then ran away laughing, because you always told me that first impressions are important and I wanted to make a big one. He looked confused, but then started laughing and ran in the opposite direction.

It took four tries, but I finally figured out how to use them. You strike them against a sand-paper like strip to make a spark! It's genius! I threw the match at a trail of gas I made earlier and the whole thing just went up with a big _whoosh. _It made me smile. It made me smile BIG!

I just stood there to look at it for a while, but much too soon those darned fire-fighters (humph, their names makes them sound cool, like they fight _with_ fire and throw it at people and burn stuff and such, but don't be deceived! They actually fight _against _the fire.) started to show up and I decided it would be best to leave before I get arrested for arson again. Because let me tell you, prison is not fun. Maybe for the first day or two it's awesome to hit people without consequences, but then people start to hate you, making the consequence of being beat up by four freakishly muscled woman.

If this does not yet convince you to acknowledge my existence, then I will be forced to take drastic…er…y…ish… measures. I'm thinking setting the Hollywood sign on fire. Or the Statue of Liberty. Or the entire Grand Canyon. Ya… awesome…

So anyways, I hope everything's just good and dandy back home. Remember to shower more then once a year, and make sure you have all of your cloths on before going outside (we don't want a repeat of New Years Eve all those years ago) and beware of those land sharks. You know how they like to eat old people.

Love,

Fire Makes Me Smile

P.S. I've bought more matches. Just thought I'd let you know.

**That's right, I'M the mystery crazy person. It was originally going to be the character Pyro, but then I was like, "You know what, me? I like fire, and I'm pretty sure that this is the story that started my fire obsession all those years ago, why shouldn't ****you be the person?"**

**Ya, and that's how it happened.**

**Review, or you will be next.**

**To set on fire? No, of course not. To put worms down your shirt, of course! Set you on fire? Pssht. If you don't review then you're not even worth **_**that, **_**mon ami.**


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